Presidential pets

Ignoring the political issues - when shaking hands and kissing babies doesn't work, nothing makes the American public love a president more than seeing them interact with their lovable pets. The White House has literally been the home of almost any animal imaginable from alligators to zebras, and has at times resembled a zoo, but it seems that dogs are almost always the favorite. Calvin Coolidge once said, "Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House". You may look at some of these pet names and think, "The leaders of our country had no imagination! How could they name their cat 'Snowflake' or their parrot 'Polly'?" Just keep in mind that many pet names became popular because the presidential pets were given these names.

Johnson owned beagles, Him and Her (later a puppy named Freckles), Blanco the collie, Edgar (aka J. Edgar) and Yuki the mutts, plus hamsters and lovebirds. It is said that Johnson and Yuki used to sing for visiting dignitaries. The president caused a public outcry when he was photographed picking up one of his puppies by the ears - he later claimed ignorance, and said he though that's how you were supposed to pick up a puppy!